US Reports ‘Wave of Strikes’ on Iran as War Returns

This US Navy handout photo released on July 10, 2026 and taken on June 29 by US Central Command Public Affairs shows an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, preparing to land on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). (US Navy/AFP)
This US Navy handout photo released on July 10, 2026 and taken on June 29 by US Central Command Public Affairs shows an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, preparing to land on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). (US Navy/AFP)
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US Reports ‘Wave of Strikes’ on Iran as War Returns

This US Navy handout photo released on July 10, 2026 and taken on June 29 by US Central Command Public Affairs shows an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, preparing to land on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). (US Navy/AFP)
This US Navy handout photo released on July 10, 2026 and taken on June 29 by US Central Command Public Affairs shows an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, preparing to land on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). (US Navy/AFP)

The United States launched a wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, after it reimposed a naval blockade in a return to war between the two foes.

Nearly a month after they signed a memorandum of understanding towards ending the Middle East war, the two sides resumed fighting with strikes on targets across the region.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted Bahrain, where the military said it had intercepted attacks against civilian targets, while Jordan's armed forces said they had downed three missiles from Iran.

US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, threatened to widen strikes next week to hit power plants and bridges unless Tehran returns to the negotiating table.

"Next week it gets really bad for them," he told Fox News. Despite a return to hostilities, mediated talks between the two sides have not formally ended.

At the heart of the resumption of hostilities has been the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that is crucial for global oil and gas flows.

- Agreement 'dismantled' -

Iran blockaded Hormuz after the US and Israel launched their massive attack on February 28, using it for leverage against its foes for months before briefly reopening it, and then again vowing it would be closed "until the US ends its aggression".

The US, in turn, has reimposed its own blockade of Iran's ports, though Trump has backed down on a planned 20 percent levy on ships using the strait.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the renewed US blockade "has, in a way, dismantled the Islamabad memorandum", referring to the interim deal reached last month to halt hostilities and pursue peace talks.

Days after the return to war, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it launched "a wave of strikes... designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."

Iranian state media reported explosions near the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the island of Qeshm and on Bandar Imam Khomeini. It later said fresh US strikes hit the southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country's only civilian nuclear plant.

In the capital Tehran, there was no sign of a return to conflict, with ordinary Iranians thronging cafes to watch the France-Spain World Cup semifinal in huge crowds, AFP journalists saw.

But in Kuwait, repeatedly targeted throughout the war, people were anxious.

"Every day, I wake up wondering whether the situation will de-escalate or worsen," said Mustafa Mohamed, a 39-year-old Sudanese accountant in the Gulf country.

"It has become difficult to feel at ease or plan anything because uncertainty grips everyone."

George Atef, a 38-year-old Egyptian civil servant in Kuwait, said: "What exhausts me most is not knowing when this situation will end -- the waiting itself has become draining."

- Trump scraps levy -

Since the war began, Iran has asserted its control over the Strait of Hormuz and opened fire on ships for taking routes it says are unauthorized.

"The retaliatory operations of the fighters will continue, and the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States ends its acts of aggression," the Guards said.

A Norwegian tanker was hit by an explosion caused by an unidentified device off the Omani coast early Tuesday, the crisis response company MTI Network said.

And Kuwait said one of its naval vessels was struck during an Iranian missile and drone barrage, wounding four crew members.

Trump meanwhile said he was scrapping a planned levy on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz that he announced Monday.

Since last week, renewed US attacks have killed at least 30 people in Iran, government spokesman Fatemeh Mohajerani said.

Separately, the military announced that seven of its personnel were killed in Wednesday's strikes on the southeast.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country has not so far rejoined the war, warned Iranian leaders on Tuesday that Israel would deal a heavy blow if they launched an attack on his country.

Speaking from Dimona, a southern town widely believed to house Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal, he told them: "Do not count on things remaining quiet if you attack us."



France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats in Coming Days, Foreign Minister Says

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot arrives to attend the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, July 14, 2026. (Reuters)
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot arrives to attend the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, July 14, 2026. (Reuters)
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France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats in Coming Days, Foreign Minister Says

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot arrives to attend the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, July 14, 2026. (Reuters)
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot arrives to attend the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, July 14, 2026. (Reuters)

France will expel two Iranian diplomats in the coming days in response to an incident in July involving two staff of the French embassy in Tehran.

"I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. And ‌so it has. ‌Two Iranian diplomats in ‌France will ⁠be expelled in ⁠the very near future," Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a post on X.

Last month, the French ministry said the two French embassy staff had been detained and physically intimidated by ⁠Iranian security services in Tehran.

Barrot had ‌summoned the ‌Iranian charge d'affaires in Paris in protest following ‌the incident on July 19.

Barrot's comments ‌came one day after the Iranian ministry said two French embassy employees, who were involved in July in a diplomatic dispute ‌in Tehran, would not be allowed to return to Iran.

Iranian Foreign ⁠Ministry ⁠spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the two French staff had violated the Vienna Convention, which defines the rules and privileges of diplomatic missions, by engaging in activities supporting Iranian civil society.

French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said in a statement that "the Iranian authorities have chosen to make completely false accusations against our agents and to fabricate a case of interference to justify their actions."


US Expands Charges Against Iranians in Massive Hacking Scheme

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. (Reuters)
A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. (Reuters)
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US Expands Charges Against Iranians in Massive Hacking Scheme

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. (Reuters)
A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. (Reuters)

US authorities expanded its prosecution of a sprawling Iranian hacking network Tuesday, bringing to 17 the number of indicted suspects for an alleged campaign against universities, companies, and government agencies.

The Department of Justice unveiled a new indictment targeting eight additional individuals, with nine of the 17 defendants having already been indicted in 2018.

Prosecutors are offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the prosecution of five of them, identified as Behzad Mesri, Mojtaba Galekuhi, Arman Kahzadian, Keyvan Fayaz, and Saber Shahbazi Ballojeh.

All are linked to the Mabna Institute, an organization based in Iran that is said to have carried out hacking operations on behalf of the Iranian government and the Revolutionary Guards, prosecutors said.

The campaign, carried out mainly between 2013 and 2017, was aimed in particular at stealing scientific data and intellectual property.

The expanded case now covers the hacking of 144 US universities and 178 foreign universities, as well as at least 42 US companies, 11 foreign firms, five US government agencies, and two NGOs.

The hackers are said to have targeted more than 100,000 accounts belonging to professors, the Justice Department said.

They are believed to have stolen some 31.5 terabytes of data, including scientific articles, dissertations and other research work.

"More than eight years after making the original indictment public, these charges make clear that the passage of time will not deter us from identifying and pursuing those who target the United States from abroad," said US Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York.

The US Treasury announced in 2018 that it had imposed sanctions on the nine individuals initially indicted, as well as on a tenth suspect who was allegedly involved in an attempted extortion case against HBO, from which he had stolen the script of an unaired episode of the hit series "Game of Thrones."


Liberia Says Taking up to 1,200 US Deportees

Migrants deported months ago by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown arrive at Simon Bolívar International Airport, in Maiquetia, Venezuela, July 18, 2025. (AP)
Migrants deported months ago by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown arrive at Simon Bolívar International Airport, in Maiquetia, Venezuela, July 18, 2025. (AP)
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Liberia Says Taking up to 1,200 US Deportees

Migrants deported months ago by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown arrive at Simon Bolívar International Airport, in Maiquetia, Venezuela, July 18, 2025. (AP)
Migrants deported months ago by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown arrive at Simon Bolívar International Airport, in Maiquetia, Venezuela, July 18, 2025. (AP)

Liberia said Tuesday it would receive up to 1,200 foreign nationals deported from the United States, as President Donald Trump pursues an unprecedented immigration crackdown.

The Trump administration has launched a sweeping expansion to deportations where the government has argued it can send people to a country that is not their home nation.

"Liberia intends to accept up to 1,200 persons to be transferred from the United States of America within a year," the Liberian government said in a statement.

A first group of 20 deportees would arrive Thursday in the West African nation, it said, adding that they were "free to depart the country when they so desire" or apply for asylum.

The Trump administration has said it wants to send Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant who became a symbol of mass deportations, to the country after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, the New York Times reported.

In Africa, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea have become key transit points in the US immigration crackdown -- even as authorities there quickly send people onwards to their home counties.

Two former State Department officials told AFP that the United States is using visa bans and restrictions on African countries to strongarm them into taking people from third countries.

The Liberian government said it "has not demanded or received any compensation or promise of rewards in exchange for its consent to participate in the program".

"Liberia will receive support to help manage the program and strengthen its migration system more broadly, it said, insisting the arrangement was "entirely humanitarian".

The US State Department refused to comment on the scheme.

Liberia as a nation was founded in the early 19th century by a society which advocated for the return of former slaves and freeborn African-Americans from the United States.